Evangelists

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, NKJV

We’ve talked about Apostles and Prophets

This week we’re going to talk about Evangelists

We think of someone like Billy Graham, and he was a great one!

What is an evangelist?

When we went through the Good News series

I told you about the Greek word for Gospel

Gospel means Good News

The English transliteration of the Greek word

Euangelion Eu-angel-ion

It means a Messenger with Good News!

Euangelist Evangelist Ev-angel-ist

Again, it simply means a messenger who delivers good news!

That’s what you are. You are a messenger who delivers good news

You have a message! The question is: Will you deliver it?

A young lady told me she started going to church in January

I told her I went to church but wasn’t saved growing up

She gave her life to the Lord! I told her my story

Apostles equip us to be sent ones. Prophets equip us to encourage

Evangelists equip us to be messengers

2. What is my message?

It’s simply your story! It’s what has happened to you

Here’s a word that we get all mixed up

It’s the word witnessing!

Witnessing isn’t something that we just do

It’s someone that we are! Jesus said you shall be my witnesses

So, what is a witness?

It’s simple! A witness is someone who tells

What he has personally seen and heard!

The shepherds were witnesses

Luke 2:20 ESV

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. NKJV

The disciples of John the Baptist were witnesses

Luke 7:22 ESV

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. NKJV

The disciples of Jesus were witnesses

Acts 4:20

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Paul, the greatest apostle, was a witness

Acts 22:15

“‘For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.’”

60 years after the resurrection, the disciples witness was called into question!

1 John 1:1

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—

1 John 1:2

the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

1 John 1:3

that which we have seen and heard we declare to you

If you were standing on a street corner and witnessed a car wreck

You would BE a witness! You wouldn’t have to go to Traffic School!

You wouldn’t have to go to Automotive School to testify about brakes!

You simply are a witness because you witnessed something!

When you go to court, they want you to tell what you saw and heard!

If you say something that you personally haven’t seen or heard,

It’s called hearsay and its inadmissible evidence!

Your story is the most powerful witness you have!

Tell your story! A friend of mine got saved while

He was putting his head in the oven to commit suicide.

He told his friend to put his head in the oven!

Stick to your story.

Witnessing is simply telling your story.

You don’t have to know where the dinosaurs went

Or how old the earth is to tell your story

You don’t have to shove religion down their throat!

If you try to shove something down their throats

Gag – In the Greek, “Gagos” Swallowing pills!

I want to show you the best witnessing story on the Bible

This guy stuck to his story and the response is hilarious!

John 9:1

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

John 9:2

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Even His disciples were trying to have a religious argument

Instead of being concerned about a person who was hurting!

Religion is a systemized set of beliefs about God

That’s why there are false religions

Pure and undefiled religion is taking care of orphans and widows

He said God is going to get glory out of even this!

John 9:6

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.

John 9:7

And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Look how simple his healing was, his story!

Watch the confusion and the arguing start immediately!

Watch for the word “said.” Watch all the talking!

John 9:8

Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”

John 9:9

Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”

John 9:10

Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

John 9:11

He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”

John 9:12

Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

John 9:13

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.

John 9:14

Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

John 9:15

Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

Notice how his story gets shorter, but he sticks with his story!

John 9:16

Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

John 9:17

They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

John 9:18

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.

John 9:19

And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

John 9:20

His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

John 9:21

but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.”

John 9:24

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”

John 9:25

He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: … I was blind, now I see.”

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Let your “systemized set of beliefs about God” explain that!

The Holy Spirit gives us gifts when we need them!

He gives us words of knowledge and words of wisdom

John 9:26

Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

John 9:27

He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

They kicked him out of their systemized set of beliefs

John 9:35

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

Jesus gives us gifts to equip us

And the Holy Spirit gives us gifts to enable us!

The Lord gave me a word of knowledge one time about a body builder

I told him about siting in his grandmother’s lap

And she told him God would make him strong like Samson

If he would give his life to God

I said God has kept up his end of the deal nut you haven’t

He had just told his wife that story in the car

They both gave their lives to the Lord right there!

God has anointed you to be His witnesses

Just tell your story and let the Holy Spirit do the rest!

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